I am beyond excited to have Amie Borst here with me today on one of my all-time favorite holidays--National All You Can Eat Chocolate Day! (Also known as HALLOWEEN!)
Amie is currently on a multi-blog tour to launch her debut novel, CINDERSKELLA. It's the first book in the Scarily Ever Laughter Series co-written with her teen daughter, Bethanie. (How cool is that?!)
I was honored to be one of the first to reveal the gorgeous cover (here), and NOW Amie is stopping by to share some of the inspiration behind her delightfully spooky novel!
Even more exciting, at the very end of this post YOU will have a chance to win your very own AUTOGRAPHED copy of CINDERSKELLA!!!
That's right, folks... no tricks here today, just treats. So sit back, join me in unwrapping another chocolate (or three), and dig in:
Even more exciting, at the very end of this post YOU will have a chance to win your very own AUTOGRAPHED copy of CINDERSKELLA!!!
That's right, folks... no tricks here today, just treats. So sit back, join me in unwrapping another chocolate (or three), and dig in:
I love creepy stories. It probably started when I was in
middle school when our English class studied Edgar Allen Poe. Or perhaps it was because of my older brother’s
obsession with Fangoria magazine and anything with blood, guts and gore.
Because of this I also started reading scary books and
watching horror movies. Anything from
Clive Barker (Cabal – the book/Nightbreed – the movie) to Stephen King (Carrie,
Pet Cemetery, The Shining). Of course
this was back in the 80’s (yes, I’m dating myself here) so Freddy Krueger (A
Nightmare on Elmstreet) and Jason (Friday the 13th) were the horror
movie icons. But I also loved some other
great movies: Silver Bullet with Corey Haim, The Lost Boys (who didn’t love
Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Keifer Sutherland back then??), and Fright Night.
Now that I’ve reached adulthood, I’m not into the gore so
much, just the strange and creepy. I seriously can’t handle the blood and gore
like I used to. My stomach is much too squeamish. And oh yeah, keep the strange
and creepy rated PG. Something like
Signs or The Others. One of the things that freaks me out the most is ghosts.
I’m terrified of ghosts. So yeah, don’t even put me in a room when The Sixth
Sense is on. I seriously will not sleep for days. Yes, I’m a wimp.
So perhaps that’s why I love middle-grade books when it
comes to the macabre. It’s just the
right amount of tension and fear without being over the top. From The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by
Claire LeGrand and Coraline by Neil Gaiman to Haunted Sister by Lael Littke,
The Stolen by Alex Shearer and just about any ghost story by Mary Downing Hahn,
I really get my fill of fear!
When I was a kid growing up in the 80’s there were also some
really cheesy horror flicks. The ones that were so bad you had to laugh. The
ones with dark humor. My Best Friend is a Vampire, Transylvania 6-5000, Attack
of the Killer Tomatoes, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and Little Shop of
Horrors to name a few. Some more favorites were Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice,
Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands.
I think it was this combination of fear and funny that
compelled me to write a humorous, yet slightly creepy, middle-grade book with
my daughter, Bethanie. While there’s definitely a trick to implementing humor
at the right time, when done well, it can really deliver quite the punch! Cinderskella
has lots of wit, light-hearted humor and heart. But it also has just enough strangeness
to satisfy those with a taste for something a little different.
So if you have a middle-grader (or are a wimp like me) then
Cinderskella might just be the perfect Halloween read for you! Of course, I
like to think it’s perfect anytime of the year, but it’s especially timely
today!
Happy Halloween! And don’t eat too much candy or you might end up like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx0ME65y72E
~Amie Borst
Cinderskella is now available at these fine retailers:
And don't forget to add it to your to-read shelf on Goodreads!
Cindy is just a
normal eleven and three-quarter year-old. At least until she wakes up one night
and finds out she’s dead. Well, she isn't technically dead—she just doesn't
have any hair . . . or a nose . . . or skin. Yep—all bones, no body.
Human by day and
skeleton by night, Cindy is definitely cursed. And because her mother recently
died, Cindy has no one to turn to except a father who’s now scared of her and
an evil stepmother who makes her do the housecleaning with a toothbrush. To
make matters worse, the Spring Fling dance is approaching, and Ethan, the
cutest boy in sixth grade, doesn’t seem to know Cindy exists. Of course, Cindy
doesn’t think letting Ethan find out she’s part skeleton is the best way to
introduce herself.
While facing such perils as pickled pig’s feet, a
wacky fortune teller, and a few quick trips to the Underworld, Cindy’s
determined to break the curse—even for a single night.
Amie Borst still believes in
unicorns, uses glitter whenever possible and accessorizes in pink. She enjoys
eating chocolate while writing and keeps a well-stocked stash hidden away from
her family. A native New Yorker she currently resides in Northern Virginia with
her husband, three children and a cute dog named Lily. She wishes she had a
hot-pink elevator with carnival lights to travel the world. But for now, her
minivan will have to do.
Bethanie Borst is a spunky
13-year-old who is an avid archer with Olympic dreams, enjoys the outdoors,
loves reading and is quick to make lasting friendships. When she is not
writing, she swings on a star.
You can follow Amie and Bethanie on facebook , or find Amie on her blog, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.
Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below to win a signed copy of CINDERSKELLA:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'm a wimp for scary stuff too. I love how Amie has told the Cinderella story with a twist not seen before. Anyone who reads it is sure to enjoy it.
ReplyDelete